Perdido 03

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Cuomo Caught In Photo With Lobbyist He Barely Knows

Governor Andrew Cuomo claims he barely knows Todd Howe, the lobbyist and former aide at the center of a federal investigation into corruption in Cuomo's economic development programs statewide.

And yet, there is Cuomo, along with lobbyist Todd Howe, back in 2012, at a function in Syracuse involving one of the companies that has been subpoenaed by the feds in the investigation, COR Development.

Also in the photo is Cuomo's former aide, Joe Percoco, also at the center of the federal investigation.

In case you're having trouble seeing, here's a close-up:

That's Howe on the right, Percoco on the left - like twin devils, exerting their corrupting influence on the good governor.

Or, more likely, the fish rots from the head and the corruption emanates from Cuomo, who surrounds himself with people who think and act like the rules don't apply to them because Cuomo himself thinks and acts like the rules doesn't apply to him.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A smiling Todd Howe was photographed, standing in the
background, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo enthusiastically shook hands with the
president of COR Development Co. during an October 2012 visit to
Syracuse.

...

The picture captures the role that Howe has apparently been playing
for years in Syracuse economic development projects. Since the federal
probe became publicly known, Howe's image has emerged as an affable guy
to see for help in getting state funding or access to Albany power.

In the foreground of the 2012 photo, Cuomo shakes hands with Steven
Aiello, president of COR, a Fayetteville company. COR is one of more
than 20 companies about which Bharara has subpoenaed information from
the Cuomo administration, according to reports.

...

The photograph, which comes from a public archive on Syracuse University's website, was taken Oct. 2, 2012, during the governor's tour of
projects promoted by the Central New York Regional Economic Development
Council. The council makes annual funding recommendations to the
governor.

It's not clear why Howe was at the event. He is not among the 24 invited guests listed on the governor's official schedule.

Cuomo arrived that morning at Syracuse University in a state police
helicopter, accompanied by Percoco and another aide, according to his
official schedule. From there, they went to nearby Kennedy Square to
begin the tour.

Cuomo stopped at the CNY Biotech Accelerator, the only new building at the former Kennedy Square
public housing site. The biotech business incubator is a joint project
of Upstate Medical University and SUNY College of Environmental Science
and Forestry.

Neil Murphy, then president of ESF, recalls
giving Cuomo a tour of the building that day. In the photo, Murphy and
David Smith, then president of Upstate Medical, are looking on as Cuomo
and Aiello shake hands.

Murphy said he did not yet know Howe in 2012 and does not know why he
was at the event. Murphy said he first met Howe in 2014, when college
officials met with COR to discuss plans for a $20 million state research facility to be built at the Syracuse Inner Harbor, where COR is the developer. Howe was a consultant to COR at that time, Murphy said.

Howe's association with COR's Inner Harbor project dates
back at least to April 2012, when Howe accompanied COR to a meeting
with officials of the state Thruway Authority, which then owned the
harbor lands to be developed.

...

After touring the Biotech Accelerator building, Cuomo and other
officials got a briefing on COR's plans to develop Kennedy Square.
(Those plans have yet to be acted on.) Then they boarded a bus to tour
other project sites, including St. Joseph's Hospital and the Inner
Harbor.

For years, Howe was sought after by Syracuse developers and others
looking for state money or access to the Cuomo administration.

Last year, Howe represented two successive developers, the Pemco
Group and Carnegie Management, who were angling for a $2.5 million state
grant to renovate the former Nynex Building in Syracuse. Bharara has subpoenaed Cuomo's records related to both companies, the Buffalo News reported. Company officials have not responded to requests for comment.

Howe also represented 3Gi CNYIP Inc.,
a company that is trying to develop a cargo transportation hub in
Manlius. 3Gi was included in Bharara's subpoena to the governor's
office, the Buffalo News reported. Company leader Eckhardt Beck said he
was not happy with Howe's work for his company, but does not think Howe
did anything improper while representing 3Gi.

The Wall Street Journal
reported that Bharara is looking at whether Percoco received
illegitimate outside income from companies doing business with the
state, including COR. On a state disclosure form, Percoco reported
between $50,000 and $75,000 in payments from COR during 2014, a year
during which he left Cuomo's administration to run his re-election
campaign. COR officials have repeatedly denied paying Percoco.

For more on the players in the federal investigation into Cuomo's economic development programs, contracting, donors and former aides and associates, see this handy guide at Syracuse.com.

On, and that photo of Cuomo, Percoco and Howe?

That wouldn't be the first time they were all together in recent years.

As Jimmy Vielkind reported, Howe "hosted" a fundraiser for Cuomo in December 2014 and guess who came with offerings for the Cuomo camapign?

That's right - COR Development execs:

ALBANY — While Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been downplaying his
relationship with Todd Howe, a lobbyist at the center of a federal probe
of his administration, records show that Howe was steering developers
to contribute to the Cuomo campaign as recently as five months ago.

Howe,
then a lobbyist for a subsidiary of Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna,
hosted a dinner gathering with Cuomo on Dec. 14 in a small upstairs room
of the Fort Orange Club, a baronial brick retreat across the street
from Whiteman’s Albany offices and up the block from the state Capitol.

The
governor walked in at 8:30 p.m., accompanied by two of his top aides,
Bill Mulrow and Joe Percoco. He was met by Howe, who worked as his
deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, executives from COR Development and Onondaga County
Executive Joanie Mahoney, a key Republican ally of the administration,
according to public records and four people familiar with the event.